The Badger and the Lion
by GalenissPeenick69
Summary: Harry recieves a letter shortly before going to the Quidditch World Cup from Cedric Diggory. (I suck at summaries and titles DX) Cedric/Harry Slash. Rated M for future smut.


Harry Potter sat in his upstairs bedroom after being awaken from a horrific nightmare. His scar ached awfully and he rubbed it. Instantly, he grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled a letter to Sirius. All he said was that his scar hurt, and he felt there was no sense in adding in the dream. Harry laid back down, deciding to send it in the morning, when he spotted a lovely tan owl flying right for his window. Puzzled, he walked over and opened the window, being careful not to wake the Dursleys, and watched as it perched it's feet right onto his windowsill. The owl had a note attached to it, and Harry swiftly retrieved it. He inhaled sharply before opening it.

_Dear Harry,_

_Hey, it's Cedric. Don't worry, everything is just fine. It's just that I overheard your friend, Ron, talking about taking you to the World Cup this year. If so, I want you to know that me and my father are going and he would like to meet you. It's going to be great this year! My dad's already got us booked. Also, sorry if he starts bragging about how I beat you at Quidditch last year. I assure you I take absolutely no pride in doing that. You deserved to win fair and square. Anyways, I hope to see you soon, and please write back about how things are going. We'll be in touch with the Weasleys._

_Sincerely,_

_Cedric Diggory._

_P.S.- Send your letter back with my owl._

Harry blinked. _Cedric Diggory wrote to me? _He reread it and raised an eyebrow. Once he realized it was the truth, he smiled, though his scar still hurt. Him and Cedric weren't really friends, as Harry only knew him from Quidditch, but if he needed someone to talk to, it was someone new. He kept his mind off his nightmare as he wrote back.

_Dear Cedric,_

_Glad to hear from you. I was just awaken from my dream when your owl came flying into my view. Good timing. Anyways, I am going to the World Cup with Ron and Hermione. I'm getting excited about it. Ron should be here to pick me up Sunday if my Muggle family let me go. Things here are going normal, I suppose. I just hope my uncle doesn't blow his top in case the Weasleys try to use a magical method. It's fine with the Quidditch thing. You deserved it. Anyways, the whole dementors ruining my match thing doesn't matter to me anymore and I've let it go. Hope you're getting along well!_

_See you soon,_

_Harry Potter._

As soon as he sat the quill down, he got reminded of his horrible nightmare. Harry cupped his hands around his face, grunting. _Just go away you stupid dream. _He sighed and eventually it faded away. Slowly, like a snail, it vanished from his worries.

_Thump, thump, thump..._

Harry looked behind himself, hearing someone's footsteps approaching. He quickly folded his letters to both Sirius and Cedric, and shoved his quill and parchment away. Just as he thrust the note to Cedric's owl, whom flew off instantly, Vernon threw open Harry's door. Luckily, he managed to throw himself into bed and cover up, so his uncle couldn't tell if he was up or not.

"Hngggrf." Vernon groaned, walking back to bed.

Harry smirked and closed his eyes, dozing off again. Thankfully, it was a calm, dreamless slumber.

Harry awoke the next morning, hearing Dudley bashing on his door.

His cousin growled, "Get up!"

"I'm coming." Harry answered, getting dressed. He dashed downstairs to find his aunt and uncle sitting around and watching the news. Just then, there was a knock at the door and Vernon ran over to it. Harry heard laughter, but waited for his uncle to explain.

"What the devil does your _kind _think they're doing!" His uncle hissed, storming over to him.

Harry tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

"Look at this!" Vernon shoved a letter with several stamps stuck onto it.

"I..." Harry began, but Vernon stopped him, exclaiming with horror, "The mail man laughed at all these stamps! How embarrassing is that!" He looked down at the letter and read it aloud.

Harry was glad to find out it was an invitation for the World Cup. He looked up at his uncle, "So, can I go?"

Vernon muttered under his breath, but then shrugged and walked back to his chair once Harry mentioned his Godfather, Sirius, "Fine then."

Just as Harry went to walk upstairs, an owl, Cedric's tan barn owl, flew through the window and landed on the railing, holding a letter in it's sharp beak. A second later, Pig flew in with a note from Ron.

"What now!?" Vernon roared.

"Just some friends of mine sending me letters." Harry reached out his hand and the two owls released their notes into the palm of his hand.

He stood up and narrowed his eyes, "Get those bloody birds out of my house!"

"I will! Let me read their notes." He growled before opening Ced's letter and smiling.

_Dear Harry,_

_The Weasleys are coming to pick you up tomorrow. Hopefully, you've recieved your invitation today and can go. Me and my father are getting really excited. Anyways, I just wanted to tell you to hang tight. You won't have to put up with your Muggle-folk for much longer. I figured I should let you know I've heard rumours that there's something different happening at Hogwarts this year. I'm not sure what, but everyone's talking about it. Well, see you soon._

_With care,_

_Cedric Diggory._

_P.S. Could you allow my owl a nice rest? She's worn out from flying here and there. Thanks!_

Harry glared at his uncle, "The tan owl's not leaving. She's staying the day here. My friend said so." He went on and read the note from Ron about the Quidditch World Cup. "However, this small one is leaving. It's just Ron telling me about the Qu- match."

Vernon clenched his fists and went to say something, but rolled his eyes and went back to watching the news.

Harry ran upstairs with the owl, after scribbling a note back to Ron, and placed her in Hedwig's cage. He began to watch the two owls, making sure they weren't going to fight. Harry spent the rest of his day tending to Cedric's owl, only to go downstairs to eat. When he is put in trust to take care of someone else's possession, he takes it seriously. Especially since Cedric is a few years older than Harry, and he wants to impress him. Cedric' owl flew off once she had a nice nap.

Finally, Harry laid down in his bed, and drifted off into a rather peaceful sleep.

He was glad that his nightmare didn't come back to haunt him the next morning. Harry woke up, got dressed, and flew down the steps.

* * *

Author's note: Hope you enjoyed. I'll be working on the next chapter as often as I can. Please review :)


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